Lear is an extension or complication of Shakespeare’s King Lear. In Shakespeare’s play, King Lear rules England for many years before dividing up his land among his three daughters, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. Lear suspects Cordelia of not loving him, leading to his decision to disown and banish her. After a while, Goneril and Regan fall out with the King and oust him into the woods. When King Lear’s advisor Gloucester tries to help him, he is blinded by one of his two sons – Edgar and Edmund, who is helped by Regan. Lear picks up here, showing the relationship dynamics between them and the returning Cordelia through the aftermath of their respective actions concerning their fathers. As the performance continues, the characters interactions become more and more ludicrous, obscene, and eclectic until they eventually shed their staged personas and embody their “real” selves as actors or at one point Sesame Street characters – reenacting the famous Mr. Hooper scene. Altogether, the play toys with themes of innocence, truth, family, grief, and death.
